Native American Authors

Joy Harjo
, 1951-

Joy Harjo's poems explore some of the reasons Indians drink and why many are trapped in a vicious cycle of alcoholism. She tries to resolve polarities to bring this world into balance. She learned most of her Indian identity from her great aunt. Harjo was born 1951, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She completed a MFA (Creative Writing) at the University of Iowa in 1978. She taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Arizona State University, University of Colorado, and the University of New Mexico. Harjo plays tenor saxophone and has performed with Poetic Justice, a band in Denver.

Awards and Honors

Academy of American Poetry AwardWordcraft Circle Writer of the Year (Recording - CD/Audiocassette) Award, 1998

Joy HarjoAuthor: Sarah Mischler and Scott Christensen Type: authorbio Description: This page is part of a series from Voices from the Gaps: Women Writers of Color produced by the Department of English and Programs in American Studies at the University of Minnesota. Included is an in-depth biography, selected bibliography and related links.
URL: http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/Bios/entries/harjo_joy.html

Letter from the End of the Twentieth CenturyAuthor: Thomas Rain Crowe Type: authorbio Description: Review of Harjo's album from the Rain Taxi Review of Books, (Vol 3, No. 1).
URL: http://www.raintaxi.com/online/1998spring/harjo.shtml